RE: Encrypt data - SQL Server 2000
From: Mr. Momotaro (momotaro_at_catholic.org)
Date: 01/22/04
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Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 15:31:17 -0500 (EST) To: focus-ms@securityfocus.com
> I suppose I've missed the intent of encryption within a SQL db. Why
> would you want to encrypt data inside a database?. First, if people can
> run queries against these tables and get results, you have incorrect
> database security. Second, if a malicious attacker uses a web app to run
> queries against the DB, the attacker would get the unencrypted output
> anyway as he/she is running in the context of an account that SHOULD
> have access.
>
> If we use the analogy of a book, if you can't get to the book, you can't
> read it. If the need comes about to send the text of the book across the
> wire, you should use SSL to encrypt it and decrypt it so people can't
> read it.
>
This gets down to a need to know issue. Can a DBA manage a payroll
database without knowing the CIO's salary? Yes. Does the DBA need to know
the CIO's salary? The organization would typically say no. Granted, you're
now relying on the application to protect you and if it's compromised the
data's probably sitting there on a silver platter, but this stops the
merely nosy DBA from running that query.
It's the same reason you'd consider dropping BUILTIN\Administrators from
the sysadmin role in SQL Server. Does the server admin necessarily need to
know what the database contains? Most cases that answer is no. Can you
really stop him? Again, most cases the answer is no. But it throws up a
legitimate barrier the server admin has to cross (and thereby break rules
in the process) which causes most people to think twice.
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